Read a Book, Expand Your Outlook

Do you have a goal to read more in 2018? Do you want to learn more about the immigrant experience FROM immigrants?

Check out these great book recommendations from our staff – written by new Americans about the new American experience:

Hannah suggests…

English at Home AmeriCorps member Hannah Johnson had a diverse list of suggestions spanning the globe:

Born Palestinian Born Black by Suheir Hammad is a collection of poems about “culture, conflict, and consciousness.”

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah is a memoir of a former child soldier-turned-UNICEF ambassador from Sierra Leone.

Enrique’s Journey by award-winning journalist Sonia Nozario recounts the harrowing journey of a Honduran boy trying to reunite with his mother in the United States.

Shafeka suggests…

Legal advocate Shafeka Hashash encourages readers to find one of her favorite authors –

“Anything by Junot Diaz.” Best known for Pulitzer Prize winning The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, this Dominican author has a powerful way with  words that will not only help you to better understand his characters, but the country of his birth.

Lauren suggests…

Employment Services AmeriCorps member Lauren Anderson has this to say about a recent release –

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, which follows the journey of two refugees, Nadia and Saeed, fleeing from their war-torn country [Syria]. Through magical realism, Hamid situates an unfolding love story within the daily dangers and uncertainties of being a refugee, allowing the reader to connect to a humanitarian crisis that’s rarely given a palpable story.

Stephanie suggests…

Civic Engagement Manager Stephanie Jackson Ali is a voracious reader and had trouble narrowing her list to a few thoughts:

The Refugees the short story collection by Viet Thanh Nguyen, a follow up to his Pulitzer Prize winning The Sympathizer, brings to life the folk lore, struggles, and successes of Vietnamese refugees – of whom Nguyen is a proud member and advocate.

In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero (yes, THAT Diane Guerrero of Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin fame). When the debate around DACA heated up in 2014, Guerrero decided it was time to come forward with her own family’s story of deportation, which left her alone in Boston at the age of 14.

Stephanie adds that readers should check out “ANY of the fantastic graphic novels detailing the refugee experience.” Some of her suggestions: The Complete Perspolis (Marjane Satrapi), Safe Area Gorazde and Palestine (both by Joe Sacco), The Best We Could Do (Thi Bui), Threads (Kate Evans), and especially Maus (Art Spiegleman).

Whichever way you go, you’ll be sure to learn more about the cultures we’re proud to serve at New American Pathways. Be sure to shoot us a message with your suggestions, too!